Research & Statistics Resources

Do you have questions about libraries and librarians? The Office for Research and Statistics (ORS) and the American Library Association (ALA) maintains a number of statistical and informational resources to help you understand libraries and librarianship in context.

This section of the American Library Association's website includes:

ALA Initiatives - links to major research initiatives, including the current Digital Inclusion Study, annual survey of Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, and Membership Survey.

Also see:

State of America's Libraries (April 2015):

Academic, public and school libraries are experiencing a shift in how they are perceived by their communities and society. No longer just places for books, libraries of all types are community anchors, centers for academic life and research and cherished spaces. This and other library trends of the past year are detailed in ALA’s State of America’s Libraries Report 2015.